Anthony Ralston ‘buzzing’ after call-up to Scotland Euros squad

Anthony Ralston says he is “buzzing” after being named in the Scotland squad for the Euros, and thinks it would be the stuff of dreams if he could face Germany in the opening game.

Scotland head coach Steve Clarke named a 28-man provisional squad for the tournament on Wednesday, and will cut it to 26 players before the deadline on June 7.

With injuries in the right-back position, Ralston looks all but certain to make the cut and head to Germany and he said it was a thrill to be included.

“I’m buzzing,” he told STV. “When you’re a kid and you grow up watching these tournaments you idolise the people that are playing in them.

“To now say that I’m involved in one is surreal.

“I’m absolutely delighted.”

The 25-year-old has already earned eight Scotland caps, and scored in the Nations League against Armenia, but his chances of making the Euros squad increased instantly when fellow right-backs Aaron Hickey and Nathan Patterson were ruled out through injury.

Ralston expressed his sympathy for his stricken fellow players but said he would now look to grasp the chance he has been given.

He said: “It’s never nice to see that happen to other players and I wish both of them, and Lewis Ferguson, all the best.

“If the opportunity arises over there, then I would like to do my best for my country and give my all for the team. From a personal point of view I’ve kept myself in great condition and I’m off the back of 90 minutes at the weekend there so I’m feeling good.

“It’s my job to do my best for my country if I’m called upon and I’m ready to do so.”

The defender is currently preparing for the Scottish Cup final with Celtic and he and teammates Callum McGregor, Greg Taylor and James Forrest found out about their international call-ups while working ahead of this weekend’s Hampden showpiece.

“We were training so it was only when we came off the training ground that we found out and were getting congratulated,” Ralston said. “Then you check your phone and there’s messages from family and friends.

“It’s all nice and good and I’m just looking forward to it now.

“You work so hard through your career and it is very short. So when these opportunities come around you want to try and grab them with both hands.”

He said that it wasn’t just a proud moment for him to be included but also for the people around him and those who had helped him get to this point.

“It’s a proud moment for everybody involved and for your family,” Ralston said. “It’s good to give back that way as well and they can all take it in.

“It’s something I’m massive on, and I know other players are as well. It’s about giving back to those who gave to you at a young age and made you the person that you are. There’s taking you to different places when you’re a kid and giving you that kick-start.

“It’s good that it can come full circle and you can give them this moment as well.”

Now, the full-back will work to impress in training and in the upcoming friendlies against Gibraltar and Finland with one target in mind: making the starting line-up for the European Championship opening game against Germany in Munich.

“It would be absolutely amazing,” he said.

“The way I approach things is that I do my work every day and I take my opportunities when they come.

“If that comes then it would be a dream.”